Author Archives: Administrator

NEOWISE Comet

Call it the side-effect of the COVID pandemic or the boon of mankind current situation. One thing is certain that we haven’t seen such clear and non-polluted skies for a longtime. And with clearer skies comes the opportunity to peak into the universe.

 

The Comet NEOWISE has captured a lot of attention in the last few weeks and if you have not seen it yet then there is still sometime left for you to catch it in the sky.

  

The Comet is known as NEOWISE after the NASA mission that found it: The Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE). It will be a little easy to see in the northwest sky every night through July 30. It will be nearest to the earth on July 22. NASA says NEOWISE will look like a fuzzy star with a bit of a tail with a naked eye. So try to use at least binoculars or a small telescope to get a closer view.





“From its infrared signature, we can tell that it is about 5 kilometers across, and by combining the infrared data with visible-light images, we can tell that the comet’s nucleus is covered with sooty, dark particles left over from its formation near the birth of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago,” said Joseph Masiero, NEOWISE deputy principal investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.


The object was discovered by a team using the NEOWISE space telescope on March 27, 2020. It was classified as a comet on March 31 and named after NEOWISE on April 1. It has the systematic designation C/2020 F3, indicating a non-periodic comet which was the third discovered in the second half of March 2020.


If you are scheduling to gaze at the sky, a pair of binoculars is recommended to have a superior experience. Around 30th July the comet will be visible for an hour near Ursa Major (Saptarshi Mandal) at an altitude of 40 degrees. After July it will fade away very fast and will not be visible to the unassisted eye. A pair of binoculars or a small telescope will enhance its visibility.



Karnataka Man Builds Camera-shaped House, Names children Canon, Nikon and Epson

It is appropriately said that passion is food for the soul. Being passionate keeps everyone energised and helps them become the best version of themselves. So how would you best find a way to express your love towards your passion? Well, Ravi Hongal a photographer from Belgaum, Karnataka built a camera-shaped home and not only that, he has even named his three sons, Canon, Nikon and Epson. If this is not love for passion, then we surely wonder what is!



Ravi Hongal who stays in Belgaum, Karnataka is a photographer by passion. Since childhood, photography was his passion and his love for cameras increased as he grew up. He would carry his ‘Pentax’ camera out to the nearby rural areas to capture images back then. Soon, photography became his passion and after that, he started a business into it.  




By building a camera house, Ravi has made the biggest attraction in Belgaum which is worth over ₹70 lakhs. His whole house is designed as a camera. While the front exterior is made with a lens, flash, reel, a memory card, and a viewfinder, the interiors have ceilings and walls designed as various parts of a camera. The lens of the camera-shaped home is a window. And Ravi named his house as ‘Click’.


Ravi Hongal from Karnataka showed his love for photography through his camera-shaped house. And now his house has become a leading attraction in Belgaum City. During the day time, it stands tall and takes a lot of attention. And during the night time, the yellow and white lights make it unique and beautiful.


Image Source: The News Minute

Canon to launch EOS R5 and R6 in July?

  • By Bhavya Desai

    • Undoubtedly the biggest news that is making the rounds in the imaging world these days is the expected launch of the latest mirrorless offering from the Japanese manufacturer, the confirmed EOS R5 and the not confirmed yet EOS R6. We can confirm from our sources that the launch is slated for the 2nd week of July, whether this will be 6th July as already rumoured awaits to be seen. But this confirmation also clears any doubts (if any) on the expected delay of the launch due to the current pandemic situation.

    And this also means that there might be a lot of other manufacturers who also might have their original plan on track for the launches of their new product. For instance, users are eagerly awaiting the announcement/news on the Sony A7S III which is also expected to be launched soon. 

    It is no surprise that this will be a ‘digital only’ launch followed by a very limited number of units available for use/reviews. With limited units I am not certain how Canon will allow users to touch and feel of the product. Especially in a category like this where the customers do tend to get their hands on the products. Will this dent its sales chart? 


    What we know about the EOS R5?

    In case you haven’t read all the news, then in a series of teasers Canon has already given the viewers an idea about some of the of the EOS R5. Some of it is already confirmed by Canon while other things are still rumoured. 

    For instance, Canon has already confirmed that the EOS R5 will be able to capture 8K video using the full width of its sensor with users being able to extract oversampled 4K video and high-resolution still images from the video footage for use and will be the first camera at that. But some rumours also suggest that the camera will be able to shoot 4k at 120 fps. If that is really happening, then it has us super excited since we love those slow-mos. 

    But what Canon has also confirmed is that the Dual Pixel AF will be available in all video modes and at all resolutions and frame rates in the R5. That is much needed and a great news. And not only that, it will also feature IBIS, which combined with lens stabilization will have one of the most powerful stabilization in the business. 


    The camera will also be able to shoot 12 fps in burst mode with the mechanical shutter or 20 fps with the electronic shutter. All the wildlife and sports photographers might get excited with this news.


    But we do anticipate certain limitations on the 8k and 4k shooting capabilities to avoid heating issues, especially considering that the camera is expected in a compact body.


    What to Expect: Pricing?

    There is no way to be certain on the pricing for the product currently since the pandemic has sent the cost and overheads supply chain in a tizzy. But considering that it will compete with the existing products available from Sony, Nikon and Panasonic, I would anticipate it to be around the ₹ 2.5 lacs mark. 


    Will the Design be the same as the R?

    It is obvious that the design will be based on the EOS R, which means that it will feature a compact body, but in all likelihood the touch bar at the back will be replaced by the scroll wheel. 

    We are also particularly interested to know about the battery life of the camera. Although Canon has not confirmed anything about the battery yet.


    Will the R6 be launched and the strategy?


    While the manufacturer is tight lipped about the R6, we are certain that the camera will be launched alongside the EOS R5. The camera is expected to have all the top features like the R5 (surprising to believe) powered with a much lesser 20-megapixel sensor as rumoured by Canon Rumours.


    The camera will sit in the lower range of the mirrorless cameras adding feature prowess to the line-up. The reason if feel that the R6 will make its debut the same day is because as a strategy it makes sense to offer two cameras in different segments with similar products.


    Plus, when Canon launched the EOS R couple of years ago, it was still trying to find its feet in the mirrorless market. The following year they launched the RP. So I wouldn’t expect a company like Canon to make the same mistake again. 


    What this means for the segment?


    While everyone is fixated on what features will the R5 or the R6 have, essentially what everyone is missing is the fact that with this launch Canon will leapfrog itself in the mirrorless race. When the R and the RP was launched, everyone including us criticised the manufacturer for entering the market late and possibly not introducing the best products/features in the segment. 


    Cut to two years, Canon seems to have now found its feet firmly in the segment and probably improved leaps and bounds in this segments. Of course, what is the level of performance that the products will deliver remains to be seen. But it would be surprising if they didn’t. Either ways it will open up the doorways for other manufacturers to push features like full width 8k to the consumers. So all in all it is the consumer who will certainly benefit from this. 

Different Indoor Photo Projects you must try

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With everyone spending more time indoors, it is a difficult for photographers to find ways to keep their creativity energised staying at home. With some creative ideas, you can click some fun photographs without stepping outside! We have listed some photography projects that you can shoot indoors, in your own home, without leaving the four walls and many of them can be done on your dining table using props or family members that you have available already at your place.

Make a splash
To get a professional studio still-life look without visiting a studio, attach or stick a white pillow case to a wall and kitchen platform in a curved shape for your background. Now place your camera on a tripod, place a glass of water with a lemon slice or any props that pops out and goes with the glass. Place the camera on the same level with the glass, but don’t fill the glass to the tip, leave a little space for the splash. Use and place an off-camera flash to one side of glass but remember it should face the pillow surface not the glass. Now you can throw the lemon slice or whatever prop you are using and capture it on fast shutter speed with continuous shot, so that you can capture the perfect moment when the lemon slice fell in water and the water splashes.



Candlelight Portrait
It may be lack in lighting up power, but candle light are way above its luminosity and can help you create some fantastic shots. To capture a candlelit portrait, go for Manual (M) mode and always use raw format. It is necessary to add the candle in the frame as well because the light is so warm that the light source is needed to help the viewer understand the photograph. Use an ISO of 1,600 or less and a nifty fifty lens at an aperture of f/2. Go for a shutter speed of 1/100 sec, and focus on the eye of the subject.



Mix oil and water
With the use of macro lens and a few daily house items, you can capture incredible images of oil drops floating on water. Like most macro shots, patience is essential, but the process forces you to focus on minute details that move, which might lead you become restless. But this experience and discipline is sure to help you in your other projects in the future. To prepare, take a glass with water and add a drop of washing-up liquid to it. Stir it a little and leave it to settle for 5-10 minutes. Then add a few drops of cooking oil and you can create the magic now.



Water drops
You don’t require a high-end camera to capture water art. The set-up for this project is very easy, but will require focussing and perfect timing. Put your camera on a tripod and fill the frame with the surface of the water and the drip. A macro lens can be useful, but is not a necessity. Whatever you keep in the background will be reflected in the water, so try various paper sheets of different colours and designs. Accurate focussing is important. So switch to Manual Focus mode and place a pencil tip at the splash area and focus on the tip. Now you just have to focus on capturing at right time.



Light Painting 
Moving a small light within the frame during a long shutter will result in something very creative and beautiful. You can create an outline around an object using a light source to give it a shape or even use coloured string lights behind the object for a fantastic background. Attach your camera on a tripod, then compose and focus on the object. Now turn the camera to Manual Focus to lock the focussing distance, and set the mode to Manual (M). Dial in an ISO of 200 (low noise), a shutter speed of 8 sec (slow shutter), and an aperture of f/16 (deeper depth of field). Set the Self Timer to 5 sec. You can now switch off the lights and capture some beautiful light painting pictures.



Strike a match stick
When a match stick is struck, it fires up so fast that it is hard to observe what actually happened at the exact moment of firing. But by capturing a rapid burst of images at fast shutter speed, we can capture this fantastic moment. This will require a macro lens to capture it. But leave some extra space near the match stick head when you frame your image, as the flare while striking is bigger than you think.



Smoke Photography
Taking images of waves of smoke is really easy to achieve if you can get the lighting right. To capture an image of smoke, light up an incense stick and keep place it in front of a dark background. Use the off-camera flash in its Manual Mode to light it from one side, make sure that the flash is not faced towards the darker backdrop or on the lens. Focus on the tip of the incense stick, then switch to manual focus to lock the focus. Use Manual Mode, and set an aperture of f/8 and a shutter speed of 1/200 sec. Now capture some normal test shots, and adjust the flash intensity to make the smoke brighter or darker, until you have the perfect lighting.

Mastering the finesse of Product Photography

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As a generation of people, we have evolved so much and have been witnessing wonders from Industrial Revolution to the world, which has taken over by Artificial Intelligence. We have seen the transformation from Nokia to Apple, from DVDs to SSDs, from Coolpix to DSLRs, from Orkut to Facebook, from Action to Nike so on and so forth.

In today’s fast paced world with the advent of technology, we always need to keep up with it. A new value has been added to the field of creative industries making more room for the designers and creative heads to brainstorm over the design aspects of every single product and its branding. This value addition has led to the advertisement of all these products in a unique way which in turn leads to the importance of aesthetics involved in the designing and representing these products in the burgeoning market.

The demand of any given product on an online platform has given rise to entrepreneurs who market their products with the help of designers, artists, photographers and techies involved in the process of marketing.

Photography as a profession at the moment is very demanding and creative at the same time. One needs to upgrade to be in such a competitive world specifically if someone wants to showcase their work. Let’s look at how we can achieve the same?

Storytelling through product photography

Every product has its own sweet story; deciding a peculiar theme for that particular product, one must understand its unique story. Then we can proceed further by finalising the colours, what kind of lighting it requires as well as its appropriate styling through a photo-shoot. We must try to deliver something unprecedented in our fundamental approach to keep it unique in turn adding a certain value to it.


The amount of considerations which might have gone during its design and branding needs to be depicted while we represent it through the medium of photography. The innate story has to speak up through a strong sense of composition. The subject within the composition which is the product itself must be highlighted along with its key features.

Colour theory

It’s necessary to understand the art of colours as each colour tells a story. Our fundamental understanding of colours must be seen through the way we juxtapose them within our composition. If you observe the colour wheel, you will get which colours complement each other. Not just that, but colour have its own emotions attached to it, setting a different type of mood to where it has been used judiciously. For example, in one-way red represents love and romance and other way it also represents sense of fear. 

If you notice movies carefully you will notice that in every movie lighting is done according to the mood of the scene. Every single colour creates different type of mood and combination of good colours brings something exceptional in the image. Usually bright colours are used to depict happiness and to explain sadness or horror scene we go for dull colour scheme with low saturated colours.

In the same way, when we are doing product photography it’s necessary to understand features of the product and what type of mood we are trying to create. Accordingly decide colour scheme in the overall frame.



Lighting

As mentioned earlier, lighting also plays a vital role in photography and it also creates different type of mood depending on the style of lighting. Usually we prefer to do product photography in studio light set-up for better results. To have a good control over light, always use an external light source.

If you are trying to achieve pro-level product photography output, then you should definitely use soft boxes. Start with one light source then keep adding lights according to the requirement. Concentrate on intensity of lights and understand what each light source is doing. It will help you to discover how to get rid of annoying reflections, where to place highlights and accordingly let the shadows flow.



Steps you shouldn’t forget

If you are shooting professionally for brands then you must follow these steps
  • You must keep your focus on the logo of the brand. Make sure it’s clearly visible in the image.
  • Understand the details of the product. Accordingly build the light set-up.
  • Decide a theme before you shoot that product. Always plan your shoot beforehand and create mood in the image according to the theme.



Use of Natural light

Why to spend so much on lighting equipment? If you are looking for natural and organic look then just style and shoot. Natural light keeps on changing throughout the day. So, you have to be very quick with your set-up to get desired output.

As we don’t have control over natural light, we might have to change set-up continuously where we will not get consistency in the sequence of the images. It may lead us to longer exposure settings where we have to boost ISO, which will cause grain in the images. So, if you are trying to bring mood in the pictures then go for artificial lights.


Artificial Lights

This is the best solution for product photography. With basic light set-up we can achieve great results. As we have total control over light, we can create any kind of mood in the images. We can adjust highlights, exposure and reflections like the way we want. If you are shooting sequence of the images then you can maintain consistency of light in the series.

Just the studio light set-up will cost you way more than expected. The higher end gear can get very expensive too. Though there are ways to save costs and be innovative with natural light around you. Also lighting set-up occupies so much space, so always think before buying studio light set-up. If there is a need then only go for it otherwise you can always play with natural light.



Click like a Pro

The secret mantra to do an outstanding photoshoot for the product; one must understand the nuances of the product in detail and try to highlight key features of it with a theme which goes hand in hand with the product itself. Wherein the basic understanding of composition techniques and final touch of post-processing to it can make a product look like a pro!

Make a good use of depth of field with prime lenses. Enhance colour tones and remove unwanted elements from the frame in post-processing. Sometimes few things are not possible to achieve in the frame as per our expectation, then add those elements in post-processing. For example, if you are shooting soda bottle and you want to add water splash and with many experiments you are not getting proper splash, At this time what you can do is to shoot product separately and later compose splash separately in the image.

Keep experimenting with different type of products, lights and creative ideas to master the art of product photography.

Pictures influence my work, not the photographers – Rarindra Prakarsa

From being a graphic artist to becoming a full-time photographer, Rarindra Prakarsa has had a journey that transcends from analogue to the digital era in photography. He speaks to Asian Photography about how this journey happened and also how pictures influence and inspire his work and not photographers.



How did you get into photography and what was the reason to choose this genre?

I started photography when I was in college and took up graphic arts. One of the subjects in that was Photography. During that time it was the analogue era in mid 90’s. I didn’t have camera at that time and would borrow it from my lecturer and friend. These were completely manual cameras and I wasn’t sure what I liked. But I really liked two subjects: Photography and Graphic Arts.

At that time, I liked street photography a lot and also journalism since I worked in a newspaper as graphic designer. Some photojournalists in my office influenced me on how interesting it was being in field taking picture for news. But later I realised that I couldn’t be a photojournalist, since I wanted my pictures to be seen by many people, since I love taking pictures of people and their environment. I converted my equipment to digital cameras 2004 and started developing my style. Internet was really helpful to promote my work and get the response for the style I was developing.




Your photographs have a cinematic and drawing feel to them. How do you manage to achieve this?

There are two moments that have influenced my work and my style. First was the movie ‘Last Emperor’ which featured beautiful light and cinematic art, and the second was after attending the painting exhibition of Water Spies, which influenced me on how he created the depth,

composition, light and colours.



I was trying to apply what I have seen from those arts. I was thinking that the key to achieve that taste is lighting. Of course, I am confidently speaking about this after mastering composition and all the basic photography. Next on my list is perfecting all the pictures with post-processing, making them more dramatic and colour matching.


One with The Monks – Jimmy Nelson

From running away from home at the age of 16 to having his peculiar styles in portraits, Jimmy Nelson epitomises everything that you expect from a travel photographer. Humble, hardworking and overall an affable guy, his photographs communicate the subject’s sense of being. In an interview with Asian Photography he speaks about his process and how patience always pays off.


How did you get into photography?

My journey with photography started in my childhood as my father was a geologist and spend his time away from us. I was a young child and I remember these communities and different parts of the world. I was taken out of this side of the world and put in boarding school, so I was confused between both the worlds.

But becoming a photographer was an accident. At the age of 16, I ran away to Tibet and stayed with the monks. With a small camera, I was trying to find a way to reconnect with myself and the experience that I had in my childhood. And in many ways, I’ve spent the whole of my life since then trying to reconnect with it. It’s not the photography which thrills me, but it’s using the camera to see the others and present them in a way that we’ve never normally seen them.



How did you develop an interest in photographing portraits of tribal and indigenous

people?

Well, I just described in my previous answer the interest started when I left home and went to Tibet to stay with the monks. And trying to find a way to reconnect with myself and that experience I had in my childhood. I used to capture photos of everyone who was nice to me. And that’s how I developed my interest in photographing tribal and indigenous people.




What is the most difficult and rewarding part of being a photographer for you?

Today everyone is a photographer with the growing technology and people capturing images with their smartphones and basic cameras. Everyone captures their own vision. For me this a challenge as well as good to see people evolving with the technology. I am happy that I capture something different and unique from the rest, but I don’t know how far it will go looking at the rise in technology. So the rewarding part is of course the work I do to make myself happy and the difficult part is that there is competition.



Photokina 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak

After intensive consultation, Koelnmesse GmbH has finally made a decision to call off the Photokina 2020, which was going to be held from 27thto 30th May 2020. The next Photokina will be held from 18th to 21st May 2022. The Imaging Innovation Conference will not celebrate its premier this year as planned, though a new date will be announced soon.

The managing team of Koelnmesse has planned not to create any own events on the part of Koelnmesse until the end of June 2020. This decision is supported by the crisis management team of the City of Cologne, which also suggested in its meeting on 18.03.2020 to cancel the trade fairs deu to COVID-19 outbreak.

This also happens against the background of the agreement reached on 16.03.2020 between the German federal government and the governments of the German states, laying down common guidelines for dealing with the coronavirus epidemic and explicitly including the general closure of trade fairs and exhibitions. This impairs the planning security for Koelnmesse and the participants of the trade fairs in Cologne far beyond the scope of the current scenarios. With this early announcement, Koelnmesse wants to give its exhibitors and visitors planning security.

The decision not to host the next edition of photokina until May 2022 was made with in view of several factors: Even before the appearance of the coronavirus, the imaging market was already subject to strongly dynamic movements. This trend will now gain momentum and must be factored into plans for the upcoming photokina. Added to this is the fact that our customers’ resources are already under heavy strain in 2021 – as a result of general economic trends as well as rescheduled events on the global trade fair calendar. The orientation towards 2022 gives everyone involved time enough to design the next photokina with an eye to the needs of the market, and of our exhibitors and visitors.

Kai Hillebrandt, Chairman of the Photo Industry Association said “It goes without saying that PIV completely stands behind the decision taken by Koelnmesse to cancel photokina 2020. The health of exhibitors and visitors is top priority at the moment. As the conceptual sponsor of photokina, we will do our utmost to assist the Koelnmesse with the planning of the next edition of photokina.”


Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct Lens review


Nikon recently released a beast of a lens at CEIF 2020, the Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct lens and we (Asian Photography) were the first in India to receive and review this lens. What makes this lens special is not only its aperture value of 0.95 but also a whopping price tag of Rs. 7,29,995


And there are no prizes for guessing that with a price tag as fancy as this, it is naturally targeted towards professionals who are looking for nothing short of the best performance. So let us see how the lens performed in all the test.



Build Quality

At first glance the Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct lens looks very huge on the tiny Nikon Z7 body and weighs a lot, a full 2 kgs to be precise. But a lot of that weight is also because it is built like a tank, which is very impressive and also offers weather resistance. And the fact that it the lens only offers manual focus further reaffirms its target audience. But the focus peeking function in the Nikon Z7 makes using the lens really easy. The lens has one control ring and one focus ring and a lens information display panel with a display button to change the info according to your needs. It also consists of lens function button right next to display button. The L-Fn button is helpful for focusing aids such as, Magnify, Peaking or the Digital Teleconverter. So while you are using the lens a simple push with your thumb and you activate the function without moving your hand or eyes off the EVF.


Chromatic Aberration

We conducted the MTF tests and found out that the chromatic aberration values for lens. The Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct lens showed a CA value of 0.22 pix which is decent. Its not the best performance under this category, but it surely isn’t bad.



Distortion

We shot the image of building from the lens of a building to check the distortion. The Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct lens captured the image of the building in which the building seems slightly tilted towards right side.


Distortion



Lens Flare and Ghosting

In terms of Lens Flare and Ghosting we shot images from the lens of a street light to check the flaring and ghosting and the lens displayed a great amount of flaring and ghosting. Which honestly to us was a surprise. But we knew these aren’t the things that lenses like these are used for.


Lens Flaring & Ghosting



Image Quality

The most important point when it comes to using a lens like this is its image quality and performance. The images from the lens displayed good sharpness and that verifies that the lens is very capable optically. The overall quality of the images were fantastic. The images were sharp and crisp, the bokeh was smooth when used on Nikon Z7 body. Well with such wide aperture, you can always expect good and sharp images even in low light conditions.



SAMPLE IMAGE


Low Light Image


Depth of Field and Bokehs

Coming to the depth of field, well a lens with f/0.95 will never let you down with that wide aperture, same goes with Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct lens. The bokehs were smooth and circular. The images were pleasing to the eye as the subjects pops out very well from the background.


Depth of Field


Verdict

Well the only words that can describe this lens is ‘What a beauty’. Nikon never disappoints with their products and with the Noct lens as well Nikon has managed to deliver high quality. The images are sharp and crisp with smooth and rounded bokehs. The lens has great performance and is also well built.


The only down part is that such quality comes at a great price. With a price tag of Rs. Rs. 7,29,995 and fact that lens we had for our exclusive review is the only lens in the country currently exemplifies the point further. Apart from the price, weight of the lens is another issue that might not work in its advantage.


So if you can circumvent around the price and the weight of the lens then the Noct lens can open a doorway to heaven in terms of the image quality it can deliver. And for photographers that are looking to do Astro Photography, Portrait Photography or ones who are looking for those jaw-dropping bokehs, then this might be the best lens you are looking for.